Repetition: The Mother of All Skill

It’s obvious you have to go through endless repetition to get better at anything. Legend says it took Thomas Edison 10,000 tries to invent the light bulb(!) That’s the power of repetition.

However, there are 3 important distinctions to be made to make sure repetition is effective: focus, quality and consistency.

First, concentrate on one single thing at a time (which is what focus really is). It goes without saying that multitasking is a myth. What people think of multitasking is really just their brain rapidly shifting from one activity to the next. So when you’re listening to a lecture on audio, writing a paper, and texting on your phone, all at the same time, it’s no surprise you don’t see great returns on your investment of time.

Just remember that Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Repetition is key.

Second, quality of repetition is a game changer. Look, if you hustle your butt off and take massive action good things will happen to you but that’s only if you’re taking the right type of action. Just saying hello in the mirror 10 times in a row isn’t automatically going to make your introduction better. After each repetition, focusing on things like inflection, projection, clarity, and intonation will make a difference.

Last but not least, keep in mind consistency of repetition. 10 free throws make or miss do not improve your percentage. But 10 in a row does. Try thinking about your favorite restaurant. I have one, and the reason why I go back time and time again is their customer service and quality of food is always consistent.

If you want to be a Jedi at what you do, volume + quality + consistency of repetition are what will lead the way.

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